Man credited with inventing General Tso’s chicken dies at 98

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General Tso's chicken with rice for dinner

Man credited with inventing General Tso’s chicken dies at 98

General Tso's chicken with rice for dinner

NEW YORK — The chef who has been credited with inventing General Tso’s chicken — a world-famous Chinese food staple that is not served in China — has died. He was 98.

Chef Peng Chang-kuei brought the sticky, sweet-and-sour dish to New York 40 years ago. It became a favorite of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at the chef’s Manhattan restaurant and spread to menus across the country.

Peng’s son, Chuck Peng, told The Associated Press that his father died Wednesday in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital.

The son runs the family’s Taiwan restaurant chain, Peng’s, where his father still cooked until a few months ago.

Peng’s son says his father created the dish in the 1950s for a U.S. Navy commander and named it after a 19th-century Chinese military leader.